A deserted corridor in state secretariat in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, April 22: A strange hush seems to have descended on the secretariat with little activity in its usually busy labyrinthine corridors.

It is hard to sight ministers. The babus and their orderlies seem to be taking it easy, mostly engaged in leisurely talk about the outcome of the elections with the day of the judgement still about a month away.

For the last one month, hardly anything has moved in the state’s corridors of power. In the absence of the chief minister and other ministers, offices wore a deserted look today. Only a few staff members were found moving around the corridors.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today left for Delhi in a weeklong private visit. He is scheduled to return here on April 30.

None of the ministers except forest minister Bijoyshree Routary have visited their office since the declaration of poll dates. Routray today visited his office for a brief period and did some file works.

Gossip is the staple of the few occupants of the massive concrete building now. The talk invariably veers around the elections. “Our babu (Naveen Patnaik) will form the government. There is no doubt about it. But whether the party will be able to touch the 100 mark is to be seen,” said a lift operator in the secretariat. Others nodded in agreement. The officials entering the lifts joined the debate.

Out of the three lifts that were being used for Naveen, major repairs works are being carried out in two. “We are taking time to refurbish the building,” said an official.

Police officials, who are on duty, are debating which MLAs would be able to retain their seats. “As the state secretariat is the nerve centre of all political activities in the state, its staff keep a close watch on the political developments. Some even place bets on the outcome,” said a police constable.

The usual flurry of activity in the chief minister’s office located on the third floor is missing. In the past, there used to be scores of visitors here at any time of the day, but they all have vanished now.

“As the model code of conduct is still in force, we are not going to the secretariat. But, I am missing the work culture, the ambience of the secretariat. If God wishes, I will be able to come back to the secretariat again and contribute to the state’s development,” said steel and mines minister Rajani Kant Singh, whose fate will be decided along with his colleagues on May 16.

Before the poll code of conduct came into force, the chief secretary used to attend as many as 20 to 25 meetings every day on an average. But now, the number of meetings has come down to three to five.

“There has been no major activity in the last few days. With the model code of conduct in force, only routine work is being done,” said an official in the chief secretary’s office. Chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra today attended a few official programmes outside the secretariat. In the afternoon, he presided over an official meeting.

Finance secretary U.N. Behera, who is just back from a trip to Singapore, attended the office yesterday. But, no important meeting was scheduled for him. The home department corridors, too, were bereft of the usual hustle and bustle. The wait for May 16 seems to be getting longer.